Effects of size of ingestively masticated fragments of plant tissues on kinetics of digestion of NDF

Ingestively masticated fragments were collected and sized via sieving. Different sizes of esophageal masticate and ruminal digesta fragments, and ground fragments of larger masticated pieces were incubated in vitro, and undigested NDF remaining at intervals of up to 168 h of incubation was determined. The ruminal age-dependent time delay (tau) for onset of digestion of NDF was positively correlated (P < 0.004) with the mean sieve aperture estimated to retain 50% of the fragments between successive sieve apertures (MRA). Degradation rate of potentially degradable NDF (PDF) and level of indigestible NDF were not related (P > 0.10) to MRA of masticated and ground fragments. Estimates of tau were positively related to MRA, with slopes of bermudagrass < corn silage < ruminal fragments of corn silage. It was concluded that fragment size-, and consequently, ruminal age-dependent onset of PDF degradation of a mixture of different fragment sizes results in an age-dependent rate of degradation of the more rapidly degrading of two subentities of PDF. Models are proposed that assume a tau before onset of simultaneous degradation of PDF from two pools characterized as having gamma-modeled age-dependency and age-constant rates. The ruminal age-dependent pool seems to be associated with the faster-degrading pool, and its rate parameter increases with range in MRA in the population of fragments. Conceptually, the ruminal age-dependent rate parameter for PDF degradation seems to represent a composite of several effects: 1) effects of the size-dependent tau; 2) range in MRA of the population of ingestively masticated fragments; and 3) subentities of PDF that degrade via more rapid age-dependent rates compared with subentities of PDF that degrade via age-constant rates. The estimated fractional rates of ruminative comminution of ingestively masticated fragments (0.060 to 0.075/h) were of a magnitude similar to the mean fractional rates of PDF digestion (0.030 to 0.085/h), which implies that ruminative comminution may be first-limiting to fractional rate of PDF digestion. The in vivo roles of ingestive and ruminative mastication of fragments on PDF degradation must be considered in any kinetic system for estimating PDF digestion in the rumen. These results and others in the literature suggest that the rate of surface area exposure rather than intrinsic chemical attributes of PDF may be first-limiting to degradation rate of PDF in vivo.     

Effect of rate of induction of carbon dioxide anaesthesia on the time of onset of unconsciousness and convulsions

The effect of different rates of induction of carbon dioxide anaesthesia on the time to loss of consciousness was investigated in broilers and hens. In experiment 1, 24 and 17 broilers, respectively, were exposed to 45 per cent carbon dioxide within 8 or 18 seconds (accession time). In experiment 2, 18 to 20 broilers and hens were exposed to either 35, 45, 55 or 65 per cent carbon dioxide within 8 seconds. The results indicated that, in general, the rate of accession is more critical than the final concentration of carbon dioxide; however, in 35 per cent carbon dioxide an exposure time of longer than 5 minutes is required to kill the birds. The time to sustained eye closure, time to onset of clonic and tonic convulsions and the duration of convulsive episodes were shorter in broilers than in hens. It is suggested that under commercial situations a final concentration of 55 per cent carbon dioxide would be suitable for killing broilers and hens.     

甘肃地区猪肉中莱克多巴胺残留量的检测分析

莱克多巴胺属于β-兴奋剂,在动物性产品中残留量过高会危害人类健康。本试验采用酶联免疫法来检测甘肃部分地区猪肉中莱克多巴胺的残留量,根据酶联免疫试剂盒检测出猪肉中莱克多巴胺的检出限为24 μg/kg,以莱克多巴胺的6种标准品测得莱克多巴胺的标准曲线,以此检测甘肃部分地区猪肉中莱克多巴胺的残留量是否超出检出限,并分析不同地方莱克多巴胺残留量存在差异性的原因。     

Antigenic stability of fimbriae of Bacteroides nodosus

Successful vaccination of sheep against footrot and attempts to eradicate the disease depend on there being a limit to the antigenic diversity of the causative bacterium, Bacteroides nodosus. Fimbrial antigenic variation was therefore investigated in vivo, both under conditions of chronic infection and under the pressure of a vaccine-induced immune response, to ascertain whether this represented an obstacle to such goals. Material was available from 5 experiments and although B. nodosus appeared to have undergone changes in its fimbrial antigens in one of these, the possibility that superinfection was responsible for the variation detected could not be ruled out because all sheep in this case were maintained at pasture. Overall, the results provided no evidence of fimbrial antigenic shift in B. nodosus in vivo and in conclusion, the survival of the organism in the sheep's foot, both in long-term natural infection and following vaccination, must therefore be related to factors other than the ability to undergo antigenic variation in order to evade the host's immune response.     

李斯特氏菌因子血清的制备及食品检测的免疫磁性分离-PCR(MIPA)方法的建立

首先进行了李斯特氏菌因子血清的研制,制备出了可对所有李斯特氏菌分型的 １５ 个 Ｏ 抗原因子和４ 个 Ｈ 抗原因子的因子血清。利用复合因子血清的多克隆抗体包被磁性球,对食品中的单核细胞增多性李斯特氏菌进行免疫磁性分离,并与 Ｐ Ｃ Ｒ 方法相结合,建立了检测食品中单核细胞增多性李斯特氏菌的 Ｍ Ｉ Ｐ Ａ方法（免疫磁性分离—聚合酶链反应方法,ｍ ａｇｎ ｅｔｉｃ ｉｍ ｍ ｕｎｏｐｏｌｙｍ ｅｒａｓｅ ｃｈａｉｎ ｒｅａｃｔｉｏｎ ａｓｓａｙ）。对菌液、模拟样品的检测表明,本方法能够有效地克服食品基质、培养基成分和杂菌对 Ｐ Ｃ Ｒ 检验的干扰作用。食品样品在 Ｅ Ｂ增菌液中增菌 １２ ｈ 后,检测的敏感度达 ５ Ｃ Ｆ Ｕ／ｍ Ｌ,可以在 ２０ ｈ 内完成检测。本方法对实际食品样品的检测结果,与国家标准检验方法检测的结果一致。     

80 years of the Society of Friends of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover

The Society of Friends of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover was established in 1926, in times of severe economical distress. According to its statutes its main purpose from the beginning was to complement the governmental budget of the University. During its 80 years of existence the so called "Friendly Society" has contributed to overcome many financial shortages in research, clinics and institutes. In addition it supported veterinary students in need. Some aspects of the Society's history and activities will be communicated.     

Survival of infective larvae of nematode parasites of cattle during drought

In a study originally designed to determine the seasonal origin of the high levels of availability of nematode larvae to cattle in winter and spring, plots were serially contaminated with eggs of Ostertagia ostertagi and Cooperia oncophora by naturally-infected calves at monthly intervals from February 1980 to September 1980. The availability of infective larvae was monitored by monthly pasture sampling and larval recovery. Because of the intervention of a 15 month drought, recoveries of larvae from the pastures were very low until March 1981 (autumn in Australia) when large numbers of larvae appeared on pastures contaminated in the preceding spring. Examination of dry dung pats at that time showed that significant numbers of larvae were present in pats deposited up to a year previously, and particularly in pats deposited in May, August and September. Following the resumption of normal rainfall in May 1981, larval numbers in pats rapidly declined and concentrations of larvae on the pastures increased to extremely high levels. It is suggested that survival of infective larvae in dry dung pats was enhanced by the drought, with implications for control of nematode infections of cattle, particularly in winter rainfall environments.     

Morphological study of bacterial pneumonia of feedlot cattle: Determination of age of lesions

Lungs from 48 feedlot cattle that had died from bacterial pneumonia were examined grossly and microscopically. Criteria based on microscopic lesions were adopted to age these pneumonias. In 38 cases, pneumonic lesions were of relatively uniform age throughout the affected tissue. In eight other cases, the presence of older lesions confined to one or two lobes suggested a previous episode of pneumonia. The aging criteria adopted were in agreement with the duration of the observed clinical signs in 26 cases. In 13 other cases, the pneumonia was estimated to be of longer duration than suggested by the history, whereas in the remaining nine cases, it was estimated to be more recent. Areas of tan discoloration of the parenchyma surrounded by white or yellow borders were considered the best areas to examine microscopically since they offered the best chances of revealing necrosis and fibrosis, the main lesions used to age the pneumonia.     

Evaluation of variability of duration of pregnancy in mares

In a set of mares of English Thoroughbred horse of the Napajedla stock the gravidity length in the time period from 1880 to 1972 was evaluated. The variability of the gravidity length was evaluated in sets which were put together by combination of two age groups with a division of the studied time period into ten-year stages. Variance and sample means of the gravidity lengths in these sub-groups are significantly different in the period under study. In order to eliminate the action of non-genetic influences qualifying the variability of the gravidity length, and to increase the objectivity of their evaluation it is proposed not to calculate with absolute values of the gravidity length, but on the contrary with transformed values: (xi - x) divided by s which would be computed for corresponding year of the foaling period. Another methodical approach to exclude the variability of the gravidity length depending on seasonal influences was based on the use of correction factors which were determined for individual months of foaling, on the basis of the sinusoid form of the curve of the gravidity length in the course of the calendar year. When observing the influence of the age of sires on the gravidity length, the shortening of the gravidity length in dependence on their higher age has been suggested, however this relation was significant only sporadically. The submitted work is a part of a larger theme referring, to the reproduction of horses.     

Effect of different systems of colostral nutrition on the level of immunoglobulins in the blood of calves]

New-born calves, artificially fed colostrum or native colostral whey, either dried or preserved by another method, had good health and good weight gains (between 0.05 and 0.60 kg). No greater differences were observed between the groups of calves given three times the colostrum of their mothers, calves given mixed colostrum, and calves fed colostral whey powder. In all groups only individual differences in IgG content in the blood serum were observed after 48 hours from birth. Hypogammaglobulinaemia occurred in individual cases both in calves given small amounts of colostrum or colostral whey and in calves given sufficient quantities. The time that had elapsed from birth to the first drinking did not exert any greater influence upon the IgG level in the blood; the decisive factor was the amount of colostrum taken in by the calf in the first dose. The rate of the absorption of IgG1, IgG2, IgA, and IgM from colostrum and the concentration of the immunoglobulins in the serum depended on the quantity of colostrum in the first dose and were not influenced to any greater degree by the amount of colostrum given to the calves in further doses. The amount of IgG in the blood serum of calves corresponded approximately to the level of colostral antibodies to the virus PI-3. The antibodies to the virus PI-3 and small quantities of IgG were observed also in the serum to new-born calves before drinking colostrum.     

The genesis of permanent growth of the beak wattle of a wattle-type pigeon

Variation in size of warts located on the beak of wattle-pigeons represents a dominant trait of this breed. Excessive growth to extraordinary size in two breeds (barbs and carriers), in addition to a large beak, can cause losses due to the inability of the parents to feed the offspring properly. In older birds, respiration is impeded and the field of vision is limited. This permanent growth in barbs and carriers could not be attributed neither to an infection with papovaviruses, nor to the overexpression of the retroviral c-src-protooncogen. This finding, in conjunction with the genetic analysis, underlines that this prominent trait is genetically determined.     

Evaluation of measurements of the conductivity of quarter milk samples for the early diagnosis of mastitis

Measurements of the conductivity of quarter milk samples were made in 31 cows in a 70-cow herd in southeast England, for a period of 15 weeks. Over this period, 42 per cent of cow-weeks and 20 per cent of quarter-weeks had an increase in quarter milk conductivity of 10 per cent of more compared with the mean conductivity of the previous 14 milkings. Fourteen per cent of quarter-weeks had an increase in conductivity of 15 per cent or more. The geometric mean somatic cell count (cell count) was higher in quarter-weeks with a 10 per cent or greater increase in conductivity than in quarter-weeks with a conductivity change of less than 10 per cent. At a conductivity threshold of 10 or 15 per cent and a cell count threshold of 200,000 or 400,000 cells/ml the specificity of this system was estimated to be 85 to 92 per cent, the sensitivity 40 to 54 per cent, the negative predictive value 87 to 93 per cent and the positive predictive value 33 to 55 per cent. The positive predictive value of the individual quarter milk conductivity was insufficiently accurate to be used as the sole criterion for the selection of quarters for early antibiotic treatment.     

C-reactive protein in monitoring and evaluation of effects of therapy of the MMA syndrome of sows

The elevated concentration of CRP in sows at the early stage of the MMA reflected the inflammation in the reproductive tract and in the mammary gland. Monitoring the level of CRP during the first days after parturition may be used to diagnose early stages of the MMA and to start therapy. In the treated MMA sows the level of CRP steadily decreased, and by the end of the experiment it had returned to the normal level. In the non-treated MMA sows CRP persisted at a high level and at day 10 of the experiment it was 13 times higher than in the treated animals and 16 times higher than in controls. Measurements of serum CRP are valuable in monitoring the health status of sows after parturition and should be introduced as the diagnostic method of the MMA syndrome in sows. The determination of the concentration of serum CRP during the first two days after parturition should be used for diagnosis of the early stages of MMA syndrome in sows and to start therapy when clinical symptoms of MMA are still absent.     

母猪繁殖障碍疾病的原因分析及防制

母猪繁殖障碍疾病在各种猪场都有不同程度的发生,该病已成为大中型猪场重要疾病。母猪繁殖障碍综合征发生的原因多而复杂,有传染性因素、寄生虫性因素、非传染性因素,但对于规模化养猪场来讲,传染性疾病是猪繁殖障碍的主要原因。母猪繁殖障碍造成的经济损失严重,因而有必要对发病原因进行分析,阐述流行及主要表现,制定合理免疫程序,提出综合防制措施。     

Evaluation of the level of difficulty of patient cases for veterinary problem-solving examination: a preliminary comparison of three taxonomies of learning

An important issue that has received insufficient attention in the use of problem-based learning in the medical curriculum is the mode of assessing the level of difficulty of patient cases. In the present study, the level of difficulty of case-based questions in a veterinary degree final examination in reproduction was evaluated. First, cognitive taxonomies were evaluated to clarify whether qualitative methods such as Bloom's taxonomy, the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy, and the Amsterdam Clinical Challenge Scale (ACCS) differed from each other as evaluation tools for problem-based cases. Using these taxonomies, 30 case-based questions from the final examination in reproduction in the Helsinki veterinary program were initially evaluated to determine which one was best suited to the evaluation of the difficulty of cases. In follow-up, the same cases were also evaluated by an experienced veterinary instructor in reproduction, with the aim of gaining insight into using these approaches to evaluating difficulty. It would appear, from this preliminary assessment, that the SOLO taxonomy may be the most suitable for evaluating the difficulty of patient cases, since the instructor's quality rating resembled more closely the SOLO than the Bloom taxonomy or the ACCS. It is to be emphasized that the purpose of this study was to provide a preliminary evaluation of possible approaches that might be used to assess patient-case difficulty. Resolving all issues will require a greater number of evaluations of all components.     

Effect of flushing the vasa deferentia at the time of vasectomy on the rate of clearance of spermatozoa from the ejaculates of dogs and cats

Flushing the vasa deferentia (ductus deferentes) at the time of vasectomy reduced to zero the number of intact spermatozoa by postvasectomy day 6 in the dog and by postvasectomy day 7 in the cat and shortened the time from vasectomy to azoospermia in the dog, but not in the cat. The fluid used to flush the vasa deferentia was not eliminated through the penile urethra, but flowed into the urinary bladder, indicating that the least resistant pathway for the exit of vasal content in the anesthetized dog and cat is toward the urinary bladder. Both control and treated dogs and cats had spermatozoa in the urine obtained by cystocentesis immediately after ejaculation or ejaculation and flushing of the vasa deferentia. Flushing the vasa deferentia at the time of vasectomy is easy to do, safe, and can be used in clinical practice to decrease the time from vasectomy to the safe utilization of dogs and cats as teasers. The procedure has potential application to males of other species.     

Influence of morphometric parameters on the size of collateral ligaments of the distal interphalangeal joint of equines

The physiological measurements of collateral ligaments of distal interphalangeal joint (CL-DIPJ) differ in the literature. The factors that influence these differences are not well described. The aims of this study are to compare CL-DIPJ sizes in equines with different withers height, as well as to correlate body weight and hoof size to the size of these ligaments. In total, 52 horses were used in the study. They were divided into two groups according to wither height: Group 1 (G1) - 21 animals with up to 147 cm - and group 2 (G2) - 21 animals with greater than 148 cm. CL-DIPJ was ultrasonographically measured in order to find the mean of dorso-palmar (DPD) and latero-medial (LMD) diameters and the cross-sectional area (CSA). Hoof width and length were measured, and the results were used to calculate the hoof surface area. Withers height and body weight were also measured. Groups were statistically compared by Student's t test and Pearson's correlation application to each group. Groups were different in body size, HS and CL-DIPJ size when p < .05, except for the LMD of the medial collateral ligament of left thoracic limb. Withers height and body weight did not show significant correlations to CL-DIPJ size in G1, but they had little influence on the size of CL-DIPJ on G2. No correlation between the hoof size and the CL-DIPJ was noted in any of the two groups. In conclusion, the CL-DIPJ were larger in taller horses and their sizes were correlated to their height and weight, but they were not correlated to hoof size.     

Efficacy of a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid in the treatment of pneumonia of pigs

Amoksiklav was used in the therapy of mixed respiratory tract infections in weaned pigs under field conditions. Positive effects of therapy with Amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid were observed in the majority of treated pigs. The production losses due to pneumonia in pigs treated with this combination were lower than among control pigs treated with Oxytetracycline, also a significantly lower ratio of death was observed among experimental weaners in comparison to the controls. Thirty days after the end of the therapy it was found that the body weight gain (b. w. g) of the experimental animals was on average 800 g higher after this period and the experimental piglets grew daily in average 20 g more than the controls. Experimental pigs were slaughtered 3 days earlier than the controls and the average weight gain at slaughter was highest by 1.1 kg in this group. Average daily b. w. g. of experimental pigs during the period from birth to slaughter was 13 g higher in comparison to the controls.     

The Relationships of the Avifauna of the South West Arid Area of Africa

Many white-faced whistling ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) have responded to European colonization by overwintering on irrigation and stock-watering ponds in the semi-arid interior of South Africa. I studied the body condition, diet, behaviour and moult intensity of whitefaced whistling ducks prior to departure for breeding areas during spring 1995. Other than higher protein levels in immature males than immature females, there were no sexual differences in body mass or levels of lipid, protein, or ash in adults or immatures. Adults were heavier than immatures and had higher levels of ash. There were no sex- or age-related differences in the proportion of individual food items consumed, 96.6% of which was maize. By foraging on neighbouring agricultural fields, birds were able to spend large portions (80%) of the day/night in comfort-related activities (preen, loaf, sleep) and little time foraging (8.8%) while on ponds. There were no sex- or age-related differences in overall moult intensity score or intensity of moult in 20 feather areas. With exception of primaries and secondaries, birds were moulting moderately to heavily in all feather regions. Agricultural ponds permit whitefaced whistling ducks to overwinter close to breeding areas, while the high availability and energy content of maize enables them to attain higher spring fat levels than birds that overwinter on traditional sites closer to the coast. Intensive agriculture has probably contributed to the population increase and range expansion of white-faced whistling ducks in South Africa.